➤ Astroneer, the review 🎮

Astroneer arrives at the appointment with the review a little over two years after his arrival on Steam, where he immediately won attention with a combination of simplicity, atmosphere and found interesting. And today the planetary survival sandbox of System Era Softwork, although devoid of plot or striking technological innovations, enjoys an even greater following thanks to an evolution, finally reached the fateful version one point zero, which certainly will not end with theearly access exit.

A game devoted to exploration and crafting

Astroneer is a sci-fi survival set on distant planets. We start from the first world with the aim of building a rocket to escape to the next, all shaping ed exploring what surrounds us with terraforming, countless structures and vehicles, in the sign of a classic sandbox that does not aim to revolutionize anything. But we do not miss some very interesting finds that include the need to supply energy to almost everything, excluding the backpack and main shelter, and the possibility of carrying oxygen with us with a network of nodes and pipes which, in the absence of advanced technologies such as portable oxygenators, it is necessary to move away from the base. And it's a key element of a title that combines a management dimension with inventiveness, drawing inspiration from toy constructions to give us an experience that also allows us to customize the equipment, the base and even the vehicles. All in the name of a relaxing new age atmosphere, with the placid soundtrack that blends with a survival dimension that is anything but simulative, devoid of factors such as climatic conditions, hunger and so on. Nevertheless, as we will see, death is not lacking, but Astroneer's challenge is a matter of exploration and imagination, starting from a bare base flanked by a landing platform that provides us with the first structures. We have the rest of the equipment on our shoulders in the form of a backpack to which a intergalactic vacuum cleaner which allows us to detect, collect and subsequently deposit material, allowing us to dig the ground with more or less simplicity depending on the hardness of the type of soil and the technology at our disposal.

And it is by taking up this invaluable tool that we set out in search of the compound, a fundamental resource that allows us to build the nodes with which to extend our network of oxygen pipes. But all around you can see nothing but plants, useful more than anything else to power portable power generators. Going too far, at the risk of being suffocated, doesn't seem like a great idea. Better to dig, then: and we do it by finding only soil and leaves, at least until we come across a narrow tunnel. There, in the depths of the earth, light is scarce, but our torch guides us curve after curve, to a huge cave that suddenly opens up under our feet. And here we are, surprised, a fall into the void, condemned to a meager end, but on the way down our attention is focused on a cavern filled with gleaming materials, capsules and enormous riches, at least until our kneecaps shatter with a sharp impact. We leave, then, for the umpteenth time, again in the tunnels, still at the bottom of the cave. And this time we find a way to go down, but the ascent becomes tiring and oxygen is scarce. One wrong step and the breath becomes heavy as the heart thunders in our ears. Finally the light, but the hour is late and life leaves us a few meters from the base, with oxygen almost at hand. At this point the patience falters, at least for a moment, but the atmosphere is pleasant and the desire to explore holds. We leave again, this time in a random direction and without too many expectations, and suddenly, behind the horizon of a planet that is small enough to show its curvature but with enough mass to guarantee countless hours of exploration, a field of compost appears, an injection of enthusiasm that begins our climb to the stars.

A rilassante survival sandbox

Astroneer, we said it, it is not a punitive title. The backpack lost by dying can be recovered, there is no trace of angry aliens and the hostile flora can be quickly eliminated using our vacuum cleaner. But gravity, we have seen, is a dangerous enemy, which makes the exploration of caves, where the bulk of the valuable stuff is often hidden, even more complicated. Recovering it requires a way back, the inevitable oxygen and consequently time, without the guarantee of really finding something precious. And it's not necessarily worth going back for a backpack at the bottom of a cesspool, even if it's full of rare materials. But this does not detract from the exploration that thrives on suggestions, mysterious discoveries, the darkness pierced by the big torch that we carry with us and the awareness that all is not lost, even when we fail to retrieve the backpack lost following an inglorious end. Some findings, in fact, allow us to immediately obtain bytes, otherwise refinable by inserting large blocks of rare material in a furnace, instantly replenishing the reserves of the coin that allows us to unlock new projects and enrich a crafting which has expanded a lot over time, also encountering some complaints from those who preferred everything more relaxed and dreamlike. We, on the other hand, are happy with the result. Astroneer provides us with three 3D printers, one of which is small enough to be carried in the backpack, with which to build a lot of machinery that can be installed on our backpack, on fixed and even mobile platforms, creating vehicles that thanks to a physics based on a marked inertial force they can make evolutions of all kinds.

The possibilities are so many and include oxygen canisters, portable wind generators, warehouses, new bases, solar panels, organic generators, auger modifications, huge vacuum machines, purple lawns, wagon vehicles and tools to power them beyond the modest battery of base. The result is an articulate but intuitive title, capable of combining a relaxing atmosphere with an exploratory spark and with a mortality that is not too punishing but still important to give a little more spice to our journey. And it works, even if the formula is limited, the only way to destroy the structures is dynamite, the planets end up looking alike and the graphic design it is modest to say the least, even if well studied and decidedly taken care of. Let's be clear, rectangular blades of grass and surfaces without textures certainly do not leave you speechless, but the attention shines through details such as the movements of the character, from the planets that cross the celestial vault and from the care for the models and for the animations of the structures, all seasoned with an almost completely invisible interface, with the oxygen level that can be seen directly on the backpack, as well as the contents of the latter. There is also the obvious cycle between day and night, puffs of wind, snow, colors in profusion and the customization of the suit (from the shape to the colors) which has a discreet importance with an anonymous astronaut with cartoon features constantly occupying the center of the our screen. But it's certainly not as important as the 4-player cooperative (drop-in / drop-out), a dimension that - finally freed from the big problems of the alpha version - adds a lot to the experience, opening the way also to vehicle races, minigames made using physics and immense constructions. Too bad for the absence of servers, which limits us only to the friends list, but these will arrive, as well as further refinements for a code that has undoubtedly improved, despite some bugs still appearing, and that has allowed us to play without big problems for several hours.

PC System Requirements

Test Setup

Operating system: Windows 10 64-bit
Processor: Ryzen 7 2700X
Memory: 16 GB
Video card: Radeon Vega VII

Minimum requirements

Sistema operativo 64-bit: Windows 7 SP1, Windows 8 , Windows 10
Processor: 2 GHz Dual Core CPU
Memory: 4 GB
Video Card: Discrete with at least 1GB of video memory

Recommended Requirements

Sistema operativo 64-bit: Windows 7 SP1, Windows 8 , Windows 10
Processor: 3 GHz Quad Core CPU
Memory: 8 GB
Video Card: Discrete with at least 2GB of video memory

Comment

Tested version PC Windows Digital Delivery Steam, Xbox Store Price 27,99 € Resources4Gaming.com

8.0

Readers (14)

8.5

Your vote

Astroneer is a sci-fi survival sandbox that does not aim for the stars, but manages to stand out in a crowded genre thanks to the dynamics of oxygen, energy and structure management, all elements that enhance both crafting and exploration. Of course, the lack of combat, of a plot or of aliens to interact with could be a big limitation for many, but we have already seen how elements of the genre, introduced just to add something, can be superfluous to say the least. Instead, we are counting on the introduction of new mechanics and the arrival of servers which, by enhancing the successful cooperative mode, could be fundamental in strengthening the community and guaranteeing lasting success for the title.